[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 152 (Wednesday, September 27, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1843-E1844]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   HONORING THE WARNER BAPTIST CHURCH

                                 ______


                          HON. THOMAS M. DAVIS

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 27, 1995

  Mr. DAVIS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the Warner 
Baptist Church at Bailey's Crossroads, VA, which will be celebrating 
its 75th anniversary from October 8, 1995, through October 14, 1995.
  The Warner Baptist Church, which is located in northern Virginia, has 
a long, proud, and colorful history. After being emancipated in the 
1800's a group of families who had suffered through many years of 
slavery traveled on foot through swamps and wilderness carrying their 
few belongings, and settled at Bailey's Crossroads, VA. One of the 
dreams and major goals of this group was to erect a building dedicated 
to God where they could commune together as a body and worship and 
serve God.
  In 1861, 1 acre of land was donated to the citizens of Bailey's 
Crossroads by Mr. B.H. Warner, a white citizen of Washington, DC, for 
the express purpose of erecting a school or church. From 1881 to 1920, 
church services were held under a small group of trees on the land and 
in inclimate weather, services were held in a store located on Columbia 
Pike. In 1919 ground was broken for the erection of a church building 
and lumber was shipped by freight train from a sawmill in Herndon, VA, 
to Barcroft, VA, and was transported by horse and wagon to the building 
site. After much hard labor, the Warner Baptist Church, which served 
the community as a place of worship and an educational facility, was 
completed and the cornerstone was laid on August 20, 1920.
  In 1962 ground was broken, and the construction of a new edifice 
adjacent to the 1920 building was begun. With most of the labor, 
including masonry, being performed by members of the church and 
volunteers from the community, the present church building was 
dedicated in November 1964. Since that time, the church has prospered 
and presently provides services on the local, State, and international 
levels through it's many ministries and outreach programs.
  Its current pastor, Matthew Pearson, has been a civic leader in 
Fairfax County who was instrumental in building the first shelter for 
the homeless in the county.
  Mr. Speaker, I know my colleagues join me in honoring the Warner 
Baptist Church for its many contributions to its parishioners and its 
surrounding community as it celebrates its 75th anniversary.

[[Page E 1844]]


              IN HONOR OF HUDSON COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE

                                 ______


                          HON. ROBERT MENENDEZ

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 27, 1995

  Mr. MENENDEZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Hudson County 
Community College, as its staff and students begin a new era in 
education at the college's newest building. The college will be 
unveiling its new flagship building, at 25 Pathside in Jersey City, on 
September 27, 1995. The college will hold a ribbon cutting ceremony and 
will sponsor a parade through the Journal Square area.
  Hudson County Community College is a comprehensive community college. 
Its top goal is to offer quality programs and services which are 
accessible, affordable, and community centered. These services are 
designed to meet the educational needs of an ethnically and racially 
diverse community. For more than 20 years the college has been offering 
its students quality teaching and programs that have helped them earn 
associates degrees in various fields.
  Through the years, the college has expanded and grown. It has become 
one of the fastest growing colleges in New Jersey. Seeing the need to 
expand its facilities, the college acquired the Pathside Building in 
December 1993. The building, built in 1912, was originally used as a 
commercial office building for the Public Service Corporation of New 
Jersey.
  Hudson County Community College acquired the building to provide its 
students with better facilities. It has renovated the building and now 
offers many new facilities, such as a 30,000 volume library, 
instructional support center, classrooms, laboratories, executive 
offices, meeting rooms, and student activities facilities.
  Please join me in congratulating Hudson County Community College for 
successfully entering a new stage in its development as a community 
college. The college has a long tradition of providing its staff and 
students with quality services and facilities, a tradition that will no 
doubt be enhanced by this new facility. I am proud to have Hudson 
County Community College in my congressional district. The college 
provides the public an excellent education and a chance for a better 
future.

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